1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telephone systems, and to the dissemination of advertisements via telephone systems.
2. Description of Related Art
The established media for disseminating advertisements are experiencing declining audience and effectiveness. In commercial television, remote control devices and cable television systems with many channels have created a phenomenon called "channel surfing," in which viewers immediately switch channels when an advertisement comes on and continue switching until a channel without a commercial is found, making the audience for commercials smaller. Furthermore, the popularity of video cassette recorders has given increased numbers of television viewers the ability to record programs and then "zap" or "fast-forward" past the advertisements when these recorded programs are replayed, making the audience for commercials still smaller.
Advertisers have traditionally been concerned with quantifying the audience that their advertisements reach. The audience of electronic advertising media is presently calculated by measuring or surveying a small sample of the potential population and extrapolating the result of that measurement to the general population.
Telephone systems have been extensively used for telemarketing, in which the telephone is used for high-pressure "boiler-room" sales. The abuse of telemarketing has already resulted in Federal legislation aimed at curbing some of the more offensive telemarketing practices. Marketers who have relied in the past on telemarketing need new strategies to continue using the telephone as a marketing tool.
Telephone systems have been adapted to serve many purposes that are in some way related to commercial messages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,614,328 describes an Automatic Subscriber Answering Service in which a caller, once connected to the service, can supply additional digits by use of the telephone dial or keypad and be provided with information on the goods and services associated with the digits provided. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,267, a system is described in which a caller seeking product or service information can be automatically connected to a dealer, agent or distributor who furnishes such products or services. The systems described in the aforementioned patents require the caller to initiate the request for specific marketing information by calling the service and then additionally by providing additional digits if necessary.
Computer-based telephone voice messaging systems are also currently used to deliver electronic "classified" advertisements ranging from apartment rentals to personals. The delivery of these advertisements is also initiated and selected by the calling party.
Telephone systems commonly are equipped to provide messages to parties "on hold." When a telephone call is placed on hold in these systems, a recording of music or an announcement or an advertisement is switched onto the held line, either at the start of the recording or at some intermediate point of the recording. At the end of the hold period, the recording is disconnected without regard to the completion of the inserted message.
Telephone systems commonly are equipped to intercept incoming calls and provide messages to callers before routing the call to either a human or automated attendant. When the incoming telephone call is received in these systems, a recorded announcement or advertisement is switched onto the incoming line. At the end of the message, the recording is disconnected and the call is routed further.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,004 relates to voice messaging and tone synthesis as used in telephone routing systems. Tones are used in many telephone systems to transmit routing information from one point to another. Tones are also used to transmit information on the status of a call back in the direction the call was initiated. Recorded voices have long been used to impart information to a caller in a telephone system. Computer technology is now replacing the analog equipment originally used to implement these features. This patent involves computer-based voice and tone response to caller actions, such as pressing the numbers on the telephone keypad, or system events, such as an operator intercept when an unreachable or "disconnected" number has been dialed.